Released back in April 2017, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe quickly became a huge success on the Switch. With positive critic reviews all round and sales that nearly topped the console’s best sellers list, the title ended up becoming one of the most popular, beloved titles on the entire system.
Yet despite all this, there was one thing it basically never got:
DLC. For whatever reason, Nintendo never really bothered with any DLC for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, with the game’s update to add Labo compatibility being the only way received by the title. It was a surprising move given the original game’s situation, or how that got regular track, character and mode updates in various DLC packs.
However, it seems that may now be changing. Why? Because in a new interview with Shinya Takashi on Twitter, the former announced that Mario Kart 8 Deluxe would indeed be getting further updates in future:
Here’s the video with the interview, courtesy of the company’s Twitter video:
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) 12 July 2018
As well as his specific comments about the matter from said video:
There will be further updates for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, so please look forward to it.
It’s pretty much as clear as you can get, and confirms that yes, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is indeed getting more updates in future.
Which when you think about it, makes a hell of a lot of sense right now. Why? Well, there are two major things you have to keep in mind here. Okay, actually three:
The Nintendo Switch has never gotten its own Mario Kart game as of yet, and it seems unlikely there’ll ever be one. This means Nintendo has a huge incentive to push this game even further with updates and new content, since otherwise it’ll be years before the next Mario Kart instalment.
Because of this (and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe’s status as a HD remaster/port with extra content), Mario Kart 8 Deluxe doesn’t really advertise modern Mario games all that well. For instance, unlike Captain Toad on Switch, there are no characters or kingdoms from Super Mario Odyssey represented in the game, which isn’t exactly a great way to advertise Mario’s latest adventure.
And finally, the whole Switch Online thing is coming soon, and Nintendo needs people to actually pay for it. New content in online games like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is exactly how you’d do that and would get people dusting off the old game to give the new stuff a try.
Either way though, it’s good news for Mario Kart fans, and indicates that Nintendo’s support for the game hasn’t died off. Let’s see what interesting new characters, karts and tracks make their way into future updates for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe!
In recent times, Super Mario Odyssey has seen an increasing number of mods for it. These include edited physics with the moon jump and super speed code, remodeled collectables such as Shine Sprites from Mario Sunshine replacing the Power Moons in levels and unreleased costumes like Zombie Mario being made public early.
There’s some neat stuff there, especially given how new the game’s modding scene is right now. But it’s not what’s truly interesting about Odyssey’s mods.
No, that would be the custom levels. Cause you see, thanks to advancements in Nintendo Switch hacking (and the existence of a full-blown level editor for the game), Super Mario Odyssey has actually started getting custom levels too.
And as is expected from a new Mario game and its mods, one of these is a Kaizo hack intended to make the brutal finale even tougher! Yep, named Kaizo Darker Side, this mod takes the already challenging Culmina Crater area and cranks the difficulty up to eleven, adding in more enemies, trickier jumps and tweaked obstacles to do so.
Here’s a video of the mod courtesy of its original creator:
As well as a less comprehensive video from Beard Bear on YouTube:
As you can clearly see, it definitely ups the challenge quite significantly from the original, and really does show how tricky Odyssey platforming can become if you’re willing to step away from Nintendo’s fairer level design.
So, check it out if you’re after a new challenge. It’s not perfect (in part because of the level editor’s limitations, and in part due to being one of the first of its kind), but it’s a decent attempt none the less, and seems like a good start for the game’s Kaizo scene.
Well, this is pretty unexpected! In an update earlier today, Nintendo added Labo support to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, with the title now being compatible with the Toy-Con Motorbike handlebars! Here’s a trailer showing the addition in action:
As you can see, it works about as well as you’d expect it to. Yeah, it’s probably not gonna replace the standard controller as the ‘best’ way to play on a competitive play, but it’s a neat Wii Wheel esque setup regardless.
And it seems it won’t be the only one either. Nope, Nintendo have also said other games will have Nintendo Labo functionality added in too. So, if you’re thinking of playing Breath of the Wild, ARMS or Mario Odyssey with Labo, that could well be a possibility down the line.
So, hey, what do you think? Are you happy Labo support has been added here?
This year at E3, Nintendo’s presentation focused mainly on Super Smash Bros Ultimate. This meant that while Smash got the focus it deserved, coverage of other Nintendo titles was few and far between, with only a few other Nintendo made titles being showed off in their presentation.
However, there was one exception to this rule, another interesting little game for the Switch that ended up being revealed at the event.
Namely, Super Mario Party.
Wait, Mario Party you may say? That doesn’t sound too exciting right now. We get those games all the time!
Perhaps, but this one looks like Nintendo has really started listening to the fans again. Why? Because after two games of hell, the dreaded car has finally gone to the junkyard. Instead, the good old N64/GameCube style of Mario Party is making a comeback, with every player wandering the board independently to buy stars and play mini games.
That’s great news right there. It means that after years of flailing around with random mechanics, Nintendo has finally learnt what people wanted from Mario Party, and decided to go all out with what works rather than reinventing the wheel for the fourth or so time.
However, it does bring a few new elements to the table too. For one thing, the ally system from Star Rush seems to be present in at least one mode, meaning the idea of collecting characters to join your group (I was so tempted to say ‘party’ there) makes a comeback here as well. There are also different dice blocks the different characters can collect with certain effects, meaning the dice mechanics are at least on par with the N64 titles and what not.
And then there’s the character roster.
Yeah, this is probably where the ‘super’ part comes into play, since Super Mario Party quite literally has the biggest character selection of any Mario Party game in the series. Indeed, based on the wiki article and videos, the full list of characters known to be playable here includes:
Well, as promised by Nintendo, Super Smash Bros for the Nintendo Switch was finally revealed today. Named Super Smash Bros Ultimate, the game took up most of today’s E3 presentation, with the trailers and gameplay videos showing off various characters, levels and changes to the core mechanics.
Here’s the E3 trailer showing the game in action:
As you can tell, the most noticeable change is the character roster. Why?
Because EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER in the series is here. Yep, every single one. From the familiar faces of Mario, Link and Pikachu to the retro returns like Mr Game and Watch and Duck Hunt Duo to the third parties like Mega Man, Sonic and Snake, every single fighter ever seen in a previous Smash Bros game makes a reappearance here.
That’s pretty damn impressive really. And Sakurai didn’t exactly skimp on the lesser knowns or DLC ones either. No, they’re here too, whether that be Pichu, Young Link, Bayonetta or Corrin.
So as far as characters are concerned, well Smash has every possibility covered. Your favourite will be in the game, and they’ll be better than ever before.
But it doesn’t end there. Oh no, just like every other Smash Bros game, this title includes an array of newcomers too.
Like the Inklings from the original trailer. Or perhaps… a reveal many didn’t quite see coming.
Ridley.
Yep, after all these years, Sakurai has finally done the bloody obvious. He’s gone and promoted Ridley from a stage boss/hazard to an actual playable character, given the Metroid series another long overdue representative in the process. What was that about him being ‘too big for Smash Bros’?
Yeah, not anymore people. Ridley’s now in Smash, and the jokes can finally end here.
And he’s not the only one. Oh no, Daisy from the Mario series is in Smash too.
However, she’s not a ‘normal’ newcomer in this game. Instead, the game actually has a secondary system for newcomers too. The ‘echo’ character system.
These are characters based on others in the roster, sharing similar moves and abilities while having their own differences in characteristics and design. This means that clones don’t take roster slots anymore, and that multiple ‘similar’ characters can be included much more easily.
As for the stages, well we don’t really know the full list there quite yet. However, from the sample shown in the trailer (like New Pork City, Peach’s Castle, Great Bay and Kongo Jungle) as well as the list from the wiki, it seems like most existing levels will return in this one. So, whether you prefer the N64 levels or those from Melee, Brawl or the 3DS/Wii U games, you’ll be right at home here.
And the new stages aren’t exactly much to scoff at either. Again, we don’t know all of them yet, but with the Great Plateau Tower from Breath of the Wild, Moray Towers from Splatoon and New Donk City from Super Mario Odyssey in the level list, it’s quite clear that the game will have some cracking new locales to fight it out in too. Personally, we’re rather fond of the Plateau Tower one given its usage of the game’s final boss music and the random appearance of the old man in the background, but the others are likely going to be amazing stages too.
Other new additions in the game include:
Tweaked designs for familiar characters, like Mario having Cappy and Link having the Champion’s Tunic from the Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild.
Stages based on the Great Plateau from Breath of the Wild and Moray Towers from Splatoon
Various new assist trophies, including Waluigi and Bomberman (these particular choices probably aren’t pleasing anyone though)
Changed movesets and final smashes for certain characters, with Link and Ganondorf getting replacements for the latter (or Wario getting his shoulder barge back).
Edit: Forgot to include it, but here’s the box art for the game. It looks very spiffy, doesn’t it?
As well as your other typical expected additions found in any Smash Bros game. Either way, it’s exactly what you’d want from a Smash Bros game on Switch and seems like a fine addition to the console’s library when it launches on December 7th 2018.
So, what do you think about it? Are you excited for Super Smash Bros Ultimate and feel like it’ll be a day one purchase when it’s released later this year?
Tell us what you think in a comment below or over on the Gaming Latest forums today!
